South Korean volumes on the rise

Containerised trade up 2.3 percent in November to 1.87 million TEU

Container volumes at South Korea’s seaports continued to rise last month despite lingering concerns on the affect of the global economic slump on trade.

According to figures released by the South Korean Ministry of land, transport and maritime affairs, box traffic increased 2.3 percent year-on-year to 1.87 million in November.

The country’s import-export volumes increased 3.1 percent, when compared to the same month a year earlier, to 1.14 million TEU, while transhipment cargo also rose by three percent to 691,000 TEU, according to the ministry.

Busan Port, the fifth largest port in the world in terms of container volumes, moved 1.38 million TEU – an increase of 0.8 percent over levels recorded last year.

The Ports of Gwangyang and Incheon saw a surge in containerised trade, with the ports reporting growth of 17.2 percent and 4.8 percent in November to 188,000 TEU and 179,000 TEU respectively.